Irish company one of Europe’s top security software start-ups

Dublin start-up Beyond Encryption Technologies has been selected as one of the top-five European security start-ups in an international competition seeking to highlight the world’s most promising security technologies.

The five companies – specialising in areas as diverse as computer security and cargo screening – were selected as semi-finalists for the European-leg of the Global Security Challenge (GSC) on 24 September.

Beyond Encryption’s solution allows organisations to move beyond today’s passive, defensive technologies to proactively pursue both compromised devices and the sensitive data resident on them, putting either or both beyond the use of the current user.

“Almost every day there is a story in the news about compromised governmental or commercial devices and data,” Beyond Encryption’s CEO, John Fitzgerald explained.

“It is a growing problem and one that hasn’t been adequately addressed by the market. Our selection to participate in the European final of the GSC is an acknowledgement both of the market need and the uniqueness of our solution in addressing it.

The GSC European semi-final will take place at the Silken Hotel Berlaymont next to the EU Commission in Brussels on 24 September, 2008, where business plans will be presented to a panel of judges, consisting of leaders from the Technical Support Working Group (TSWG) of the US Government, Smiths Detection and PegasusBridge Fund Management.

Two companies from this event will be selected to compete against the top companies from the Asian and American semi-finals at the final event hosted at the London Business School on 13 November for the grand prize of US$500,000 in cash sponsored by TSWG and mentorship from a series of venture capitalists.